Marvelous Happy Things

Author's Note: Learning about the Bible and discipleship did take place in my youth group, though this post is not focused on these topics. Our leaders guided discussions as they should. To my friends: I hope this post brings back good memories and you laugh a little as I try to explain our friendships and romantic experiences. Was it normal for this much romantic activity to happen in one youth group? Feel free to comment with your thoughts.  My high school youth group had an interesting phenomenon. Our group had a lot of “lovesick” teens. Meaning that plenty of my friends dated people in our church or people from school and would bring them to church. We had a player in the group who flirted with several girls. Friends would see a pair who spent a lot of time together (whether it was on a retreat or a mission trip) and speculate on their relationship. None of our leaders encouraged the dating relationships, probably because most of them did not last. I remember a conversation b...

Here are four movies featuring songs or themes about summer. 1) High School Musical 2: "What Time is It?" The movie takes place during summer, but the first song is a celebration of a school year ending and summer beginning. This song popped into my head often during high school summers. 2) Disney Channel's Starstruck: "Something about the Sunshine" This mention could be a surprise for you. The movie also takes place during a summer vacation, but during this song the characters connect over outdoor fun and get to know each other better. 3) Disney Channel's Teen Beach Movie: "Surf's Up" This song reflects the joyful fun of a summer spent on the coast. (I'm not sure if it was an end credits song or not, but it mentions summer more than "Surf Crazy." I included it because of that.) 4) Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension: "Summer (Where Do We Begin?)" Since the series is centered around summer day...

*I started this analysis with Season 2 of the show, so moments from Season 1 are not included. Sonny Munroe and Chad Dylan Cooper's relationship could be one of the first enemies to dating plot lines in Disney Channel TV. Chad is stuck up and selfish. Does his relationship with Sonny make him a better person? He asks her on a first date suddenly and is generally nicer once they start dating. He is nicer to her friends, though not to his costars on Mackenzie Falls . Sonny's friends tolerate their relationship, and they occasionally work with Chad to help Sonny. Sonny and Chad face pressure from friends and the media to show off their relationship to the public, including their first kiss. They decide during one episode to only be friends but then share their first kiss in private. They admit that their connection is strong and decide to continue dating. In the last few episodes, Chad starts putting his wants before others'. For instance, So Random! (Sonny's show) beats M...

I first learned of the concept of emotional purity in high school (around 2013) after someone suggested I read the book Emotional Purity  by Heather Arnel Paulsen. After first reading it, I agreed with many of the author's ideas. I decided to revisit the book and this concept to see if my thoughts on it have changed. Critiques are in italics. Emotional Purity is similar to the concept of physical purity, with it being an inner aspect of yourself that can be given away to many people or saved for one person. Paulsen relates a story that some women she surveyed remembered their first love, but few of them married their first love. She mentions that many women can become "emotionally married in [their minds] in less than ten seconds" (pg 98). While women can become emotionally attached to men, the opposite can also be true. Additionally, not all women form emotional attachments within a few meetings or dates. If someone uses this book as a handbook for social gatherings,...

Season 4 Episode 17 Aka the Musical My Mother Would not Approve of Spoilers are in the following sections. In this episode, the cast performs songs from Hedwig and the Angry Inch . Someone is still leaving videotapes on their doorsteps. Which means a creepy person still lives in Riverdale, and the plot isn't slowing down anytime soon. Kevin can't perform a song from Hedwig  for the variety show he is organizing. Principal Honey won't let him. Kevin attends a sleepover at Betty's house, and the girls encourage him to perform as Hedwig. There's a cute song as they give him a makeover. Archie decides to sign his friends up as a band for the show. He calls them The Archies, and Jughead says, "Were the me-me-mes taken?" The students decide to stage a protest on Kevin's behalf and they all dress in drag as Hedwig. Kevin performs a song from the show in the music room. Casey Cott has one of the best voices of all of the cast, and he should have gotten ...

I started this list last fall, when I watched High School Musical (HSM) and HSM 2. Then I recently watched HSM again with my parents, which was funny, because my dad watched it with me originally, probably in 2008. Here are some quotes and funny observations, in no particular order. I tried to list the references as appropriate. HSM 2: "Did you ever get on a ride and wanna get off?"- Bet On It This happens to me often when I ride rollercoasters, but I wouldn't put it in a song. HSM 2: How did Sharpay's parents get so rich? This isn't addressed. Normally people who own country clubs work at them as well, and the Evans family hangs out like it's a second house. HSM 2: "No more waking up at 6 a.m." - What Time Is It If I woke up at 6 for high school on a day with no club meetings, I would be very early. My high school started at 7:35. HSM 2: Chad and Ryan switching clothes after the I Don't Dance sequence. No one addresses this. The fans have...

I decided to combine two episodes for this post. The plot is getting nuts! Spoilers are in the following sections. Season 4 Episode 13 Betty broke in to the "sanctum sanctorum." No Baxter Brothers contract for Jughead unless he writes a great novel by Friday. This is every writer's nightmare. Archie could close one of his businesses. This wasn't surprising to me, because he has a lot going on while being a high school senior. Veronica is struggling to come to terms with her father's illness. She decides to anger him to keep his mental strength up by competing with the rum business. I couldn't help but laugh at this line from Hiram: "You've awoken the dragon. Prepare to be eaten." Brett from Stonewall does have a tape of Jughead and Betty in their dorm room. Is he the one who was taping all of Riverdale? Our main four decide to go to a Stonewall Prep party after Jughead has been thrown out from the school for plagiarism, with sketchy evide...